Smart School Council

At Parkwood, we believe in the power of pupil voice. Through our communication team and class meetings, we endeavor to give all the children lots of opportunities to share their thoughts and opinions and play an active role in the decisions that affect their learning and well-being.

Two years ago, we joined the 'Smart School Council' community: an online platform that allows every child to have a voice, be a leader and fully appreciate the importance of democracy (a British Value). It is 100% pupil-led, inclusive, and leads to real pupil-led change in schools.

Class Meetings

Class meetings are held weekly and during this time every child votes on a topical question, either related to the school, local community or the wider world. Each meeting lasts 5-10 minutes and they are run by our children, not the teachers. Every class, needs to have one leader to host the meeting and read out the key question on the board, and one note taker, who writes down any key points or issues to discuss as necessary? As well as asking a new question each week, the children also get to see the results of the question from the previous week and any actions that will happen as a result.

Communications Team

Our communication team members have a very important role in ensuring everything involved within the School Council runs smoothly. The idea is that change within our school should be driven by our children not by just adults. They collect suitable questions from staff and pupils and decide which week these questions will be asked.  They analyses the data collected and speak to the staff that can make those changes happen.  These pupils are the voice of the school.